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To examine whether or not associations between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and impaired fasting glucose and type 2 diabetes are mediated by obesity.We used cross-sectional data including participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). SDB, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), hypoxia and sleep fragmentation, was evaluated by polysomnography. Further, five obesity measures related to overall obesity and central obesity were assessed. Mediation analysis was conducted to explore the mediating effect of obesity on these relationships between SDB and impaired fasting glucose and type 2 diabetes.Among 1615 participants, OSA and hypoxia, including apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 15, percent of total sleep time (TST) with SaOObesity, especially central obesity, may play a critical role in the pathway where SDB, including OSA and hypoxia, increases the occurrence of impaired fasting glucose and type 2 diabetes. Weight management is important for patients with SDB to prevent type 2 diabetes.

Foundation and Application of Microcontroller (FAoM), a theoretically and practically important specialized course for automation majors, is interdisciplinary and has a wide range of instructional content. Conventional teaching methods center on the needs of teachers but do not prioritize fostering practical skills and innovation capacity. This split focus tends to neglect the achievement of learning outcomes and causes deficiency in practice ability. Therefore, instructional reform oriented toward outcome-based education (OBE) was proposed in this study to promote endogenous motivation to learn and enhance effectiveness and flexibility in practical teaching by subdividing instructional objectives, rearranging instructional contents, conducting modularized teaching, and formulating typical tasks. To evaluate the performance of the instructional reform based on OBE, students were engaged to develop a temperature measurement system with knowledge they learned by using software Keil, Proteus, and Altium. Statistics show that the proposed methodology exceeds the traditional method of teaching in all six evaluation indexes, achieving the student-centered curriculum objective. The implementation of the reform on FAoM is of considerable importance for students. They benefit from immersive teaching, broadening their minds and cultivating their capacity to address practical engineering problems.

Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics, and China strengthens research on various aspects to allow their athletes to compete successfully in winter sport. Simultaneously, Government-directed initiatives aim to increase public participation in recreational winter sport. These parallel developments allow research to advance knowledge and understanding of the physiological determinants of performance and health related to winter sport. Winter sport athletes often conduct a substantial amount of training with high volumes of low-to-moderate exercise intensity and lower volumes of high-intensity work. Moreover, much of the training occur at low ambient temperatures and winter sport athletes have high risk of developing asthma or asthma-related conditions, such as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. The high training volumes require optimal nutrition with increased energy and dietary protein requirement to stimulate muscle protein synthesis response in the post-exercise period. Whether higher protein intake is required in the cold should be investigated. Cross-country skiing is performed mostly in Northern hemisphere with a strong cultural heritage and sporting tradition. It is expected that innovative initiatives on recruitment and training during the next few years will target to enhance performance of Chinese athletes in classical endurance-based winter sport. The innovation potential coupled with resourcing and population may be substantial with the potential for China to become a significant winter sport nation. This paper discusses the physiological aspects of endurance training and performance in winter sport highlighting areas where innovation may advance in athletic performance in cold environments. In addition, to ensure sustainable development of snow sport, a quality ski patrol and rescue system is recommended for the safety of increasing mass participation.

Background: Gene expression profiling (GEP) is considered as gold standard for cell-of-origin (COO) classification of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, the high dimensionality of GEP limits its application in clinical practice. Methods: In this study, we aim to develop a parsimonious model based on GEP to accurately predict COO subtype of DLBCL for clinical applications. We first proposed a variable important measure to solve the instability of penalized regression methods in high-dimensional settings. Then this strategy was applied to six penalized methods to identify a small gene subset for DLBCL classification. Using a training dataset of 350 DLBCL patients, we developed a six-gene model for DLBCL classification. For training and validation datasets, model evaluations showed the six-gene model performed well in terms of discrimination, calibration and clinical usefulness. Subgroups of patients characterized by these six genes showed significantly different prognosis. Furthermore, model comparisons demonstrated that the six-gene model outperformed models constructed by typical penalized regression methods. Results: In this study, we applied the above strategies for DLBCL classification analysis. Finally, six genes were identified as an optimal gene subset for both subtype classification and survival prediction in DLBCL. The predictive and prognostic performances of those six genes were further validated in the external dataset. What’s more, taking simplicity and predictability of clinical models into consideration, we found that the six-gene model outperformed the typically penalized regression models. Conclusions: In conclusion, the six genes had considerable clinical usefulness in DLBCL classification and prognosis. The genes order based on their importance provided a priority for further functional and targeted drug research.

The imaging of hypoxia in tumors by metal-free organic phosphors has long been a challenge due to the lack of molecules capable of phosphorescing efficiently in their dilute solutions. Herein, a new strategy for designing phosphorescent molecules was provided by building selenium-based intramolecular charge transfer systems to address this issue. The results showed that molecules based on this strategy exhibited efficient phosphorescence even in solutions, showed very low cytotoxicity to cells and can be successfully applied to image hypoxia in cells and tumors. In addition, the mechanism responsible for the efficient phosphorescence was investigated by the combination use of transient absorption spectra and theoretical calculations.

Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) has been identified as a methyltransferase responsible for N6-methyla-denosine (m6A) modification of mRNA. METTL3 functions in tumorigenesis and tumor development by promoting the translation of oncoproteins; however, the role of METTL3 in ovarian cancer has not been extensively studied. The present study performed immunohistochemistry to detect METTL3 expression levels in 52 samples of ovarian cancer tissue paired with corresponding paracancerous tissue. RNA interference was conducted to downregulate the expression levels of METTL3 in the SKOV3 and OVCAR3 ovarian cancer cell lines. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot analysis demonstrated the effects of METTL3 knockdown on mRNA and protein levels, respectively. CCK-8, colony formation, apoptosis and Transwell assays were also performed. The results demonstrated that METTL3 exhibited significantly higher expression levels in ovarian cancer tissues compared with corresponding paracancerous tissue. High METTL3 expression levels were associated with large tumors, lymph node metastasis and high pathological grade. Cell proliferation analysis revealed that METTL3 knockdown reduced the proliferation and clonogenic ability of SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells. Apoptotic rates were increased in METTL3-silenced ovarian cancer cells, which may have been mediated by the activation of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, and METTL3 knockdown reduced cell invasion. METTL3 knockdown downregulated the phosphorylation levels of AKT and the expression of the downstream effector Cyclin D1. These results suggested that METTL3 may serve an oncogenic function in the progression of human ovarian cancer cells partially through the AKT signaling pathway, indicating that METTL3 may be a potentially novel therapeutic target for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Following Beijing’s winning bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, winter sports have ushered in a great development opportunity for adolescents in China. Beijing initiated the Ice and Snow Sports on Campus Program in 2016, however, one of the challenges is that the lack of quality snow sports instructors and access to ski resorts is limiting sustainable programs. Greek Peak Ski Resort, located in upstate NY, has a successful history of running snow sport educational programs that Beijing may be able to learn from. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the Ice and Snow Sports on Campus Program in Beijing with the snow sports programs at Greek Peak Ski Resort, having a goal to explore sustainable education programs for adolescents. Literature research, program reports, field observation, and interviews with program directors and experts were used in this study to assess and compare the programs in Beijing and Greek Peak Ski Resort. The findings indicated that with the Ice and Snow Sports on Campus Program initiated in 2016 by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, about 2.1 million K-12 students’ participation counts in ice and snow sports have been recorded. In 2021, more than 200 K-12 schools with ice and snow sports specialties were certified in Beijing. A total of 60 model courses with the topic in winter sports and Olympics have been developed to improve ice and snow sports teaching. The strong and historical school skiing program at Greek Peak Ski Resort includes about 55-57 K-12 school programs and 5 college PE programs each year, with an estimated student participation count of 20,000 per year. The collaboration between Greek Peak Ski Resort and local schools/colleges/universities offers sustainable educational programs, benefitting generations of students and all parties involved and efficiently sharing resources. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics provides a rare historical opportunity for multi-level and multi-dimensional cooperation between the sports and educational departments in Beijing. With supporting policies and guidance, the strategic goal of cultivating more young people to participate in winter sports is being achieved. Education programs provide opportunities for adolescents to learn winter sports skills and promote active healthy behavior. The collaboration between local schools, colleges/universities and Greek Peak Resort can be a good solution for Beijing to resolve the critical challenge of lack of quality instructors and easy access to winter sports facilities.

As an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) initiative known as Exercise Is Medicine (EIM) is becoming more and more popular globally, FIT Taijipao has been proposed as a new approach to exercise. FIT Taijipao has been introduced as an individualized and dynamic exercise. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of FIT Taijipao on Heart Rate (HR) at different speeds including peak (YANG) and minimum (YIN) points every three months across 15 months of continuous FIT Taijipao exercise, concluding with a follow-up retention test to examine the effects of an 18-month detraining. The participant of the case study was recruited in a college-wide mind & health program. A 48-year-old sedentary Asian female volunteered for this pilot longitudinal study. The participant performed FIT Taijipao on a treadmill two to three times per week in the exercise lab. A Polar HR Monitor (M400 + H10 chest unit) was used to record HR data. According to FIT Taijipao guidelines, HR Average per 200m was used for data analysis. The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale was used to monitor the participant’s subjective effort and controlled to be no higher than 15. YANG Speed (peak) is attained as RPE reaches 15 or less when HR reaches 145 bpm. The running speed was adjusted according to FIT Taijipao established speed profile. Weekly HR average of YANG (peak) speed decreased by 25.3 bpm (146.3 to 121.0 bpm) after first 3 months of FIT Taijipao; Weekly HR average at the same speed continuously decreased to 117.3, 120.0, 116.0, and 116.3 bpm at 4.5 mph speed. YANG (peak) speed increased gradually from 4.5 mph, to 5.7, 6.0, 6.1, 6.3, and 6.3 mph every three months. After 18 months of detraining, a retention FIT Taijipao test was done to examine the HR change. Weekly HR average at 6.3 mph was 160.6 bpm, and the lap average speed was 5.7 mph when HR was around 145 bpm. The RPE reported was 13. This case study illustrates that regular FIT Taijipao leads to a decreased HR, a useful index for exercise intensity and cardio-respiratory fitness. The participant enjoyed FIT Taijipao, a 40-45 minutes run. FIT Taijipao has a great potential to help general population to gain the benefits of exercise and physical activity without being over stressed.

In this work, we present for the first time a general strategy via molecular reversed conformational distortion for thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). A model purely organic compound named BNNIO with a common fluorophore flexibly linked to benzene by an oxygen atom is rationally designed and successfully synthesized. Moreover, the rate constant of reverse intersystem crossing reaches 2.34 × 104 s-1 as determined by transient spectroscopy. As a result, TADF emission of BNNIO is observed with a photoluminescence quantum yield of 90.72% and a lifetime of 84.76 μs at 415 nm. This universal regulation strategy undoubtedly opens a new avenue for the development of novel purely organic blue light-emitting materials.

Exosomal transfer of oncogenic miRNAs can enhance recipient cell growth, metastasis and chemoresistance. Currently we found that microRNA-501-5p (miR-501) was overexpressed in doxorubicin-resistant gastric cancer (GC) SGC7901/ADR cell-secreted exosomes (ADR Exo) than that in SGC7901 cell-secreted exosomes (7901 Exo). ADR Exo was internalized by SGC7901, and a Cy3-miR-501 mimic was transferred from SGC7901/ADR to SGC7901 via exosomes. ADR Exo conferred doxorubicin resistance, proliferation, migration and invasion abilities to negative control miRNA inhibitor-expressing GC cells, whereas it inhibited apoptosis. MiR-501 knockdown or BH3-like motif-containing protein, cell death inducer (BLID) overexpression could reverse the effects of ADR Exo on recipient cells. SGC7901 cells cocultured with SGC7901/ADR prior to treatment with GW4869 or transfection of a miR-501 inhibitor were sensitive to doxorubicin and exhibited attenuated proliferation, migration and invasion and increased apoptosis. The intratumoral injection of ADR Exo into negative control miRNA inhibitor-expressing SGC7901 cells induced rapid subcutaneous tumor growth and resistance to doxorubicin compared to that of miR-501 knockdown or BLID-overexpressing cells. This effect is possibly achieved by exosomal miR-501-induced downregulation of BLID, subsequent inactivation of caspase-9/-3 and phosphorylation of Akt. Exosomal miR-501 might be a therapeutic target for GC.

Purpose The aim of our research was to investigate the expression of BMP7 in ovarian cancer (OC) and the biological effect of knocking down BMP7 on ovarian cancer A2780 cells. Methods We detected BMP7 expression in ovarian cancer and normal ovarian tissue by immunohistochemistry (IHC). We downregulated BMP7 expression using lentivirus-mediated RNAi and then examined the effects of knocking down BMP7 on the cell growth and invasion, cell cycle and paclitaxel sensitivity of A2780 cells. The mRNA and protein levels were detected by total RNA extraction and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting, respectively. Cell proliferation was measured by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. The number of cells in each cell cycle stage and those undergoing apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry. Results BMP7 expression was significantly higher in the ovarian cancer tissues than it was in the normal ovarian tissues. Knocking down BMP7 in ovarian cancer A2780 cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion; led to G1 cell cycle arrest; and reversed the epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) process. In addition, downregulating BMP7 increased the sensitivity of the A2780 cells to paclitaxel. Moreover, BMP7 downregulation resulted in decreased expression of Smad1/5/9, p-Smad1/5/9, ID2 and cyclin D1 protein. Conclusion The results presented here are expected to contribute to the development of possible therapeutic targets for patients with ovarian cancer.

For economic operation of the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process, a control reconfiguration method is proposed based on the self-optimizing control (SOC) methodology. Firstly, the primary controlled variables are considered as measurement combinations, which are tracked at constant setpoints to maintain near-optimal operations. In the obtained controlled variables, the weight fraction of coke on the regenerated catalyst is identified as an important variable, which is however difficult to measure online and cannot be used directly. Two alternatives are considered, with either the composition variable estimated by a soft-sensor or adopting a suboptimal solution without using the composition variable. Then, the classic Hicks control structure for the FCC process is reconfigured using the obtained schemes, where the setpoint of reactor temperature is automatically optimized by the added SOC configurations. Finally, simulations are carried out to verify the economic improvements.

Background: p16 protein was up-regulated in breast cancer with translocation from nucleus to cytoplasm. In this study, the mechanism of p16 cytoplasmic translocation and its role in progression of breast cancer were investigated. Methods: The expression and subcellular redistribution of p16 and CDK4 were detected by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence in 93 cases of breast cancer. Regulation of different CDK4 status on p16 and its influence on the progression of breast cancer were analyzed with western blotting, CCK8, flow cytometry and transwell assays. Results: Both p16 and CDK4 proteins mainly expressed and co-localized in cytoplasm or nucleoplasm either in breast cancer tissues or in cell lines. Further analysis indicated that p16 was mainly in cytoplasm when CDK4 was over-expressed. However, it located in nucleus when CDK4 was mutated at position 24 (R24C) or knocked down. In addition, cytoplasmic p16 could promote proliferation, invasion and metastasis of breast cancer. Conclusion: The aberrant accumulation of p16 in cytoplasm could be associated with up-regulated CDK4, which could promote progression of breast cancer cells, indicating a poorer prognosis.

Coptis chinensis (CC) is widely used to treat diabetes in traditional Chinese medicine due to its significant hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects. It was reported that CC powders are more effective than CC decoctions. In this study, a rat model of type 2 diabetes was established and treated with supercritical-extracted CC and gastric juice extracted CC, respectively. Body weight, fasting plasma insulin, insulin resistance index, and lipid profiles were measured along with oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs). In addition, the levels of plasma proteins were compared between type 2 diabetic rats and CC-treated rats using an iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis. The results showed that the plasma levels of triglyceride (TC), total cholesterol (TG), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in rats of both CC-treated groups were significantly decreased. In addition, the proteomic analysis identified 929 proteins, while 15 proteins were selected from these 929 proteins based on their expression levels and bioinformatic results. Among these 15 proteins, 9 proteins (IGF-1, Igfbp4, Igfbp-6, Igfals, C2, C4, Cfi, Prdx-2, and Prdx-3) were upregulated in the two CC-treated groups, while 6 proteins (Pla2g7, Pcyox1, ApoC-1, ApoC-3, ApoB-100, and ApoE) were downregulated. The functions of these proteins are associated with glucose metabolism, insulin action, immunity, inflammation, lipid metabolism, oxidation, and antioxidation. The two differently extracted CC did not show significant differences in terms of their treatment efficacy. This research expanded our understanding on the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of CC in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Doxorubicin is a widely used anthracycline-based anti-tumor agent for both solid and liquid tumors. Mounting evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in chemoresistance and tumorigenesis. However, the roles of microRNA-501-5p (miR-501) in doxorubicin resistance and gastric cancer cell proliferation and invasion are still not fully understood. In this study, we identified that BLID (BH3-like motif-containing protein, cell death inducer) was directly regulated by miR-501 at the post-transcriptional level in multiple gastric cancer cell lines. Endogenous miR-501 was higher, whereas BLID was lower, in doxorubicin-resistant gastric cancer SGC7901/ADR cells compared with their parental SGC7901 cells. miR-501 suppressed gastric cancer cell apoptosis, induced resistance to doxorubicin, and enhanced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Subcutaneous injection of miR-501 lentivirus-infected SGC7901 cells resulted in rapid growth of xenograft tumors and resistance to doxorubicin treatment, unlike injection of negative miRNA lentivirus-infected SGC7901 cells. This is achieved at least partially by directly targeting BLID and subsequent inactivation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 and phosphorylation of Akt. Taken together, miR-501 induces doxorubicin resistance and enhances the tumorigenesis of gastric cancer cells by suppressing BLID. miR-501 might be a potential target for doxorubicin resistance and gastric cancer therapy. Keywords: microRNA-501-5p, chemoresistance, doxorubicin, BLID, gastric cancer

Background Primary angiosarcoma of the kidney is a rare and aggressive malignant tumor presenting with a recognizable vascular differentiation. Its prognosis is fatal and the pathogenesis remains unclear. Renal angiomyolipoma is a relatively infrequent renal cortical neoplasm and is composed of variable proportions of adipose tissue, spindle cells, epithelioid smooth muscle cells and abnormal thick-walled blood vessels. Case presentation Here, we reported a case in which a 64-year-old woman presenting with the chief complaint of a progressively enlarged mass in the left abdomen. Abdominal computed tomography confirmed presence of a tumor measuring 18 cm × 11 cm in the left posterior renal fascia. Microscopic examination and immunohistochemical staining confirmed co-existence of angiomyolipoma and angiosarcoma. Furthermore, the two components interspersed with each other and there were transitional zones between them. Conclusions In this case, we described for the first time a primary renal angiosarcoma possibly arising in a pre-existing angiomyolipoma of the kidney.

A novel thiol-functionalized graphene oxide/Fe-Mn composite (SGO/Fe-Mn) was synthesized via three different methods, i.e., acetic acid method (SGO/Fe-Mn-ac), neutral method (SGO/Fe-Mn-ne), and ammonium hydroxide method (SGO/Fe-Mn-am). The composites were characterized and tested for aqueous methylmercury removal. SGO/Fe-Mn was prepared using 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (3-MPTS) as a silanizing reagent, and hydrolyzed 3-MPTS mainly interacted with GO/Fe-Mn through surface oxygen-containing groups (i.e., OH, C O, epoxy C O C, carboxyl O C O, and C O) and π-π interactions, partially through self-polymerization. SGO/Fe-Mn-am showed the largest hydrodynamic diameter, strongest π-π bond, fewest S oxidation products, most thiol groups, negative charge, sp 3 defects, and FeOOH. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models fitted well with methylmercury sorption kinetic and isotherm data, respectively, resulting in a CH 3 Hg + maximum sorption capacity of 43.88 mg/g for SGO/Fe-Mn-am, 36.33 mg/g for SGO/Fe-Mn-ac, and 28.00 mg/g for SGO/Fe-Mn-ne. The removal mechanism was described by electrostatic attraction, ligand exchange, and surface complexation. This study demonstrates potential and viability of SGO/Fe-Mn for enhanced immobilization of CH 3 Hg + in surface water, groundwater, and soil/sediments.

In order to find the relevance of the key words in the hot topics effectively, we proposed a clustering method based on words-distances. We calculated the distances between the words firstly, then calculated the sectional density of each words. We regarded the words which have higher sectional density and far away from sectional density point as the center point in the clustering. After find the center point, we start to clustering. This method through decision diagram on estimating the number of clusters. At last, we can find the results on the evaluating indicator of accuracy rate and recall rate.

Objective:This study aimed to investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and physical activity (PA) in different domains among male coal miners of Shanxi Province in China.Method:The study was conducted from July 2013 to December 2013. A two-stage stratified cluster sampling method was used. Data regarding the general information of participants were collected by well-trained interviewers. MetS was defined according to IDF criteria. Self-reported PA was obtained with the IPAQ and categorized into three tertiles of intensity levels across occupation, transportation, household, and leisure-time domains. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were applied to compute the odds ratios and their 95% confidence interval (CI).Results:A total of 3076 males aged 18–65 years old were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The prevalence of MetS was 40.5% in the study subjects. The percentages of vigorous-intensity PA in MetS and non-MetS groups were 70.07% and 62.92%, respectively. Participants spent most of their time on occupation (2034 MET-min/w) and transportation (693MET-min/w) domains. Higher-intensity levels in occupation domains were significantly associated with lower risk of MetS (OR: 0.759, 95% CI: 0.633–0.911; OR: 0.627, 95% CI: 0.516–0.762).Conclusions:Across four types of workers, the relationships between PA domains and MetS were different. For underground and underground auxiliary workers, the negative relationship was found between occupation PA and MetS. For office workers, the negative relationship was found between household PA and MetS. For ground workers, only leisure-time PA had positively related to MetS.

Background Uterine angioleiomyoma is a rare variant of leiomyoma, and the main therapy is complete surgery. This study introduces the benefit of three-dimensional computed tomography reconstruction for preoperative preparation. Case presentation A 50-year-old woman presented because of chest distress after activity, with worsening symptoms. After examination, the final diagnosis was uterine angioleiomyoma. The tumour originated in the uterus; grew into the right iliac vein; coursed along the iliac vein, inferior vena cava, and right atrium; and finally invaded the right ventricle. To best complete the surgery, a multidisciplinary surgery was selected. Before the surgery, a three-dimensional computed tomography reconstruction model was created to assess the tumour status, and this model enabled the surgery to be completed successfully. Conclusion Three-dimensional computed tomography reconstruction is of great significance for the preoperative diagnosis of uterine angioleiomyoma and the formulation of surgical treatment plans. Based on its vivid images, surgeons can perform operations more effectively and safely.

This paper deals with the run-to-run optimization problem of a batch process in the presence of uncertainty with a tailored self-optimizing control (SOC) strategy. Firstly, the dynamic programming problem for the batch process is transformed into a static nonlinear programming (NLP) problem using the control parameterization method. Then combinations of output measurements are selected as controlled variables (CVs), which are batch-wise controlled to account for uncertainties. However, although existing SOC methods appear directly applicable to such a static NLP formulation, a major problem therein is that the number of control parameters is generally large to maintain a satisfactory optimizing performance, which makes them inappropriate as being manipulated variables for closed-loop optimization. To circumvent this difficulty, it is proposed to alternatively use the so-called latent effective manipulated variables as the control system's manipulated variables, which are linear combinations of original control parameters, however, less in number whilst implicitly dominating optimal operation in the whole uncertain space. This way, the run-to-run self-optimizing control system is designed with less process-dependent CVs and operated with minimal complexity. A simulated fed-batch reactor is provided to illustrate the proposed methodology. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Parathyroid adenomas may occur within the thyroid, clinically simulating thyroid nodules. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of these presumably "thyroid nodules" can lead to misinterpretation of cytomorphological findings because of similarities in cytological features of parathyroid and thyroid lesions. Here, we reported two cases of intrathyroidal parathyroid adenomas. One of them was misinterpreted as thyroid lesions. The other was composed exclusively of oncocytic cells and had a correct cytological diagnosis. In this study, both cases showed a new cytological feature which has not been reported in the literature: many capillaries protruding outside the three-dimensional fragments without epithelial cells around. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2016;44:921-925. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Jiao-tai-wan is a well-known traditional Chinese herbal medicine formula that is used to treat insomnia and systemic inflammation. Studies indicate chronic insomnia might contribute to the prevalence of cognitive impairment. The role of systemic inflammation and intestinal permeability in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases attracts much attention. Aim of the study This study aimed to investigate if Jiao-tai-wan plays a role in promoting the repair of the intestinal epithelial barrier to suppress systemic inflammation and cognitive impairment in sleep-deprived (SD) rats. Materials and methods Male obesity-resistant SD rats were partially sleep-deprived for 16 weeks. During the last 8 weeks, they were treated with Jiao-tai-wan. A Morris water maze was used to analyze their cognitive ability. Aβ42 and proinflammation cytokines in the cerebrospinal fluid, tissue, or serum were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or polymerase chain reaction. Intestinal permeability was detected using the fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran perfusion assay method. Plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels were detected with Tachypleus Amebocyte Lysate. Western bolt was used in the signaling pathway analysis. Results Sleep deprivation deteriorated the performance of rats in the Morris water maze and increased the Aβ42, caspase3, IL-6, and TNF-α levels in their brains. The intestinal TLR4/NF-κB pathway was activated with an increase in the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α. The expression of tight junction proteins was also decreased in the intestinal tissue. This increased the intestinal permeability and circulation of LPS, LPS binding protein, IL-6, and TNF-α. Treatment with Jiao-tai-wan could partly reverse these changes. Conclusion Jiao-tai-wan has the potential to attenuate systemic inflammation and cognitive impairment in partially sleep-deprived rats. The possible underlying mechanism is by preventing an inflammation trigger being transferred through the gut-brain-axis.

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, is one of the most investigated housekeeping genes and widely used as an internal control in analysis of gene expression levels. The present study was designed to assess whether GAPDH is associated with cancer cell growth and progression and, therefore may not be a good internal control in cancer research. Our results from clinical tissue studies showed that the levels of GAPDH protein were significantly up-regulated in lung squamous cell carcinoma tissues, compared with the adjacent normal lung tissues, and this was confirmed by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. GAPDH knockdown by siRNA resulted in significant reductions in proliferation, migration, and invasion of lung squamous carcinoma cells in vitro. In a nude mouse cancer xenograft model, GAPDH knockdown significantly inhibited the cell proliferation and migration/invasion in vivo. In summary, GAPDH may not be an appropriate internal control for gene expression studies, especially in cancer research. The role of GAPDH in cancer development and progression should be further examined in pre-clinical and clinical studies.

The present study aimed to determine the protein expression, in addition to the clinical value of the expression, of estrogen receptor α (ERα), progesterone receptor (PR) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The expression of ERα, PR and EGFR was examined immunohistochemically on paraffin-embedded thyroid tissues obtained from 64 patients with PTC and 14 patients with nodular thyroid goiter (NTG). The expression level of ERα, PR and EGFR was found to be significantly elevated in the PTC tissues compared with the NTG tissues. In addition, the expression of ERα was found to be correlated with the size of PTC tumors. However, there was no significant difference between the expression levels of ERα, PR and EGFR in males and females with PTC. Thus, immunohistochemical evaluation of ERα, PR and EGFR expression in patients with PTC may aid in the prediction of the prognosis of patients with PTC.

Objective The detection of BRAF V600E mutation in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) may be helpful to offer diagnostic confirmation. Additionally, such detection may provide a targeted therapeutic approach for the radioactive iodine resistant patients to predict adverse outcomes. To compare the results of immunohistochemistry (IHC) method using the anti-BRAF V600E (VE1) antibody with the Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) approach in examining BRAF V600E mutation in PTC, we investigated the sensitivity and specificity of BRAF V600E (clone VE1) mouse monoclonal antibody in detecting the BRAF V600E mutation and correlated BRAF V600E mutation with clinicopathologic features in PTC. Methods IHC and qPCR were performed in 40 cases of paraffin-embedded PTCs tissues. The association between BRAFV600E mutation and clinicopathologic features of PTC was assessed with the χ 2 test. Results The concordance rate between IHC and qPCR analyses was 95% (38/40). The BRAF V600E (VE1) antibody has a sensitivity of 100% (34/34) and specificity of 66.67% (4/6) for detecting the mutation. Our study showed that there was no significant association of BRAF V600E mutation with the gender, age, tumor size and lymph node metastasis in PTCs. Conclusion We may draw the conclusion that detection of BRAF V600E mutation by immunohistochemistry is highly sensitive and specific. Immunohistochemical detection of the mutated BRAF V600E protein in PTC may facilitate mutational analysis in the clinical setting.

For distributed parameter systems, recognition of state change is crucial to process operation with a wide range of motivations, for example, sensitivity analysis of input condition, selection of operating point and abnormal situation diagnosis, etc. A key task therein is developing a criterion from which the extent of state change can quantitatively determinated. In this paper, a novel concept, namely the POD (proper orthogonal decomposition) angle is proposed to form such a criterion, which is developed from the POD technique. Based on this new concept, some of its theoretical properties are also described and proven along with the introduction of POD angle. As an illustrative example for the usage of POD angle, a cyclohexane process is studied where the POD angle is used to analyze the influence of feed temperature on the temperature distribution of whole system. It is demonstrated that when feed temperature is operated in the range of 100 to 120 °Ñ, the POD angle will experience a change of 17.8022°, corresponding to fluctuant amplitude of 82.0309 °Ñ for the system temperature. Therefore, temperature distribution of system is sensitive to feed temperature in this situation. On the other hand, when feed temperature is operated in the range of 120 to 200 °Ñ, the POD angle changes only 1.1595° on average whilst the temperature distribution of whole system average varies only 5.0486 °Ñ, hence we conclude that the feed temperature imposes a minor impact on the temperature of the system as compared with the former case.

Background and Objectives: Limited research has evaluated the effects of acute exercise on cognition under different conditions of inspired oxygenation. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of high-intensity interval exercise (HIE) under normoxia (inspired fraction of oxygen (FIO2): 0.209) and moderate hypoxia (FIO2: 0.154) on cognitive function. Design: A single-blinded cross-over design was used to observe the main effects of exercise and oxygen level, and interaction effects on cognitive task performance. Methods: Twenty inactive adults (10 males and 10 females, 19&ndash, 27 years old) performed a cognitive task (i.e., the Go/No-Go task) before and immediately after an acute bout of HIE under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. The HIE comprised 10 repetitions of 6 s high-intensity cycling against 7.5% body weight interspersed with 30 s passive recovery. Heart rate, peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) and rating of perceived exertion were monitored. Results: The acute bout of HIE did not affect the reaction time (p = 0.204, &eta, 2 = 0.083) but the accuracy rate decreased significantly after HIE under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions (p = 0.001, &eta, 2 = 0.467). Moreover, moderate hypoxia had no influence either on reaction time (p = 0.782, &eta, 2 = 0.004) or response accuracy (p = 0.972, &eta, 2 &lt, 0.001). Conclusions: These results indicate that an acute session of HIE may impair response accuracy immediately post-HIE, without sacrificing reaction time. Meanwhile moderate hypoxia was found to have no adverse effect on cognitive function in inactive young adults, at least in the present study.

Epidemic outbreaks of rust disease have been observed in most of the black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) plantations in the south of China in recent years. However, the exact pathogens that cause rust disease in this area remain largely unknown. In this study we collected rust fungi from black cottonwood plantations at four different places in the south of China. Examination of these fungi by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and light microscopy (LM) revealed that the morphological characteristics of urediniospores for all the collected fungi were very close to that of Melampsora larici-populina. Using species-specific primers, these pathogens were confirmed to be M. larici-populina. In a survey on the resistance to rust disease for 88 genotypes of black cottonwood, nine potential candidate genotypes were detected that may be free from infection of rust pathogen. The results of this study provide essential information for breeding new rust-resistant black cottonwood cultivars.